Last



April 14, 1925. 1,533,816

c. M. SEARL LAST Original Filed April 21, 1924 IN VEN TOR.

A T T ORNE YS.

Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES v y 1,533,816 PATENT OFFICE.

OLINTQN M. SEAR-L, OF PORTSMOUTH, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE VULGAN LAST COM PANY, 0F PORTSMOUTH, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

LAST.

Original application filed. April 21, 1924, Serial No. 707,7'96'. Divided and this application filed November 24, 1924. Serial. No. 751,767. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,CLINTON M. SEARL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portsmouth, in the county of Scioto and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improven'ients in Lasts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to an improvei 'nent.

in lasts and is particularly directed to lasts ot the divided typetha-t is to say, to that type of last which is divided into two parts, a toe part and a heel part, movable relatively to each other to collapsed and extended positions. The present application is a division of my application filed April 21, 192a, Serial No. 707,796.

It is desirable in lasts of this type that the last be capable of being easily collapsed so that it may be removed from a shoe without ini'ury to the lining of the shoe and with out stretching the shoe out of place.

In lasting a shoe the last is held upside downthat is, with the sole side upper- 1nost-and inasmuch as a great deal of pressure isput on the toe of the last during the lasting operation, this tends to collapse the last and consequently one of the objects of my invention is the provision of a construction in which the last is capable of with standing the stresses to which it is subj eeted durin the lasting operation without collapsing, but may be readily collapsed by the operator when desired.

In one form of last now in extensive use, the fore part and heel part are attached to each other by a link attached to the fore part and heel part by pins so located relatively that a line drawn through their centers will tall above the axis 'on which the last parts move when the last is collapsed and below this point or axis when the last is extended.

In such a construction, the greater the distance the pins are below the axis of the last when the last is extended, or the greater the distance they are above the axis of the last when the last is collapsed, the more resist ance the last will offer to collapse or extension, but this distance is limited inasmuch as the pins must be located in the last body itself, and inthe case of wooden lasts the pins must be kept at an appreciable distance from the bottom or sole face owing to the danger of splittingthe last'when the same 1s in'use or when being moved from extended position to collapsed position or vice versa.

In the presentconstruction I have provided anarrangement for attaching thetwo last parts to each other whereby an effect is obtained which is as efficient as the lowering "of the pins in the above-outlined construction to the danger point, the resistance to collapse 01' extension offered by my last being very materially increased, without,

however, necessitating placing of any pins at a point where they are likely to cause the last to split.

It is one of the especial objects of my inventi-onto provide a last in which the last parts are held together under tensionuand not simply held in expanded or collapsed position under tension. i

It is a further object of my invention to hold the lastfpartstogether by means employing a lever, with the parts constantly under tension.

Itis a still further object of my invention to hold the parts of the last together under tension with the parts so arranged that the tension will assume its maximum when the parts are either in their fully expanded or fully collapsed position.

It is anadditional object'of my invention to provide the holding; together of the parts under tension and to associate therewith a lever, the parts being so arranged that the tension will achieveits maximum at the completely.expanded or collapsed position It will berealized that of the last parts. the tension may be created by a variety of means which may be very compressible or expandible, and tha-t the details of creating this condition are not essential.

It is a further object oi my invention to provide such mechanism to hold the parts of.

by such tension means to resist the pressure,

tending to collapse the last imposed on the the last together under tension that it will i bottom of thetoe member in constructing the shoe thereon until such tension means is overcome by the operator breaking the last.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a sectional view illustrating my in vention.

In the drawing I provide a heel part 1 and a toe part 2 divided along the arcuate cut 3. Pivotally attached to the heel 1 'by a pin 4: is a link 5, the forward end of this link extending into the toe part of the last where it is pivotally attached by a pin 6 to a lever 7, the latter in turn being pivotally attached to the toe part of the last by a pin 8. The lever 7 is roughly in the form of a triangle and the pin 8 passes through the lower extremity of the base thereof, while the pin 6 passes through the upper extremity of the base thereof. To the apex of this triangularly shaped lever by a pin 12 is pivoted a link 9, the other end of this link being pivoted by a pin 13 to a second link 10, the other end of which in turn is pivoted on the pin 4 in the heel. The links 9 and 10 con stitute a toggle and between the center of this toggle, that is to say, between the point of connectio-n'of the link 9 to the link 10 and the upper edge of the link 5, is a coil spring li, this spring always being under compression.

With the parts in the full-line position the action of the spring 11 is in a direction to straighten the toggle comprising the links 9 and 10 to thereby tend to rock the lever 7 to'the right about the pin 8 and inasmuch as this lever is tied to the pin 4 by the link 5, the result of this action is to tend to ters of these pins now falls above the axisof the last, it will be seen that the last parts will be held in collapsed posiiton under tension.

It will be apparent that I have provided a last structure wherein the last parts are held in extended position and in collapsed position under tension, thereby providing a structure which will successfully withstand 'accidental collapse or extension of the last parts when the same are in use in the manufactureof shoes. It will be seen also that in my invention I provide a structure in which the force exerted on the last parts to hold the last in extended and in collapsed position is of some magnitude my improved construction being such, however, that this increase in force is provided without weakening the last. In other words, more power is available for holding the last parts in adjusted position due to my improved structure than is possible in lasts as now manufactured.

It will be seen also that I have provided a last structure wherein the last parts are held in extended position and in collapsed position under greatest tension. In other words, the tension under which the last parts are held to each other when the last is extended or when the last is collapsed,- as the case may be, is greater than the tension under which the last part-s are held when in an intermediate position.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In a last of the divided type, the combination of 'a heel part and a toe part, alever pivotally attached to the toe part, a link pivotally attached to said lever and extending into the heel part to which it is pivotally attached, toggle mechanism connecting the free endo'f said lever to the heel end of said link, and a spring interposed between said link and toggle mechanism to maintain the last parts in extended position and in collapsed position under tension.

In testimony whereof, I 'afiix my signature.

CLINTON M. SEARL. 

